BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A new program in the city of Cocoa is offering felons employment and a chance to rehabilitate themselves and re-enter society.
As part of the program, former offenders are required to obtain their GED, attend financial literacy classes and go to church.
Pastor Errol Beckford oversees the Offender Re-Entry Program. He told Channel 9's Melonie Holt that he's already seeing success stories.
Beckford said over the past year, about 16 felons have been employed as landscapers on city-owned properties with two major goals in mind, taking ownership of their pasts, and proving themselves to be better than what they've done.
“Everyone who sees me says, ‘that's good you work here.’ They don't see me in the street. I don't hang out, nothing like that. I have to be up at 4:45 a.m. to catch the bus to be here,” said Darius Jordan, a felon who went to prison on a drug possession charge conviction.
The city of Cocoa partnered with Alternative Behavioral Services, which is managed by the Celebration Tabernacle Church, to oversee a grant program.
The landscapers are paid minimum wage, but Beckford said the jobs are about more than a paycheck, they’re about building credibility.
“Do you think if they have a job, they are less likely to reoffend?” Holt asked.
“Sure we are, because we have to provide for our self,” Beckford said.
“This place turned my life around. I mean this church, all I can say is, if you get out of prison, join a church. It will change your life,” said Tommy Dixon, former program participant.
The city’s contract with Alternative Behavioral Services was renewed and expanded for this year and is funded through the city's general revenue fund and dedicates $77,497 for the program.
“That's what gives me satisfaction here in the city of Cocoa, watching young men's lives change,” Beckford said.
The church is still accepting applications for the offender re-entry program.
Cox Media Group
